Chan Gailey says he has no doubts about Ryan Fitzpatrick

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 12, 2011, 7:36 PM EDT

Reuters

Early this season, Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick was one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Bills rewarded him with a six-year, $59 million contract. That contract looks like a mistake now, as Fitzpatrick and the Bills have gone into a steep decline since then.

But while the contract might look like a mistake to many of us, it doesn’t look like a mistake to Bills coach Chan Gailey, who says he has no doubts that Fitzpatrick is the Bills’ quarterback of the future.

“No, none, zero,” Gailey said. ”We’ve all seen him do it. We know he can do it. I think as soon as we continue to work on getting everybody on the same page I think Fitz would be fine. If that was my biggest problem I don’t think I’d have any problems.”

Gailey, whose team is on a six-game losing streak, has a lot of problems. Whether Fitzpatrick is one of those problems or will be part of the long-term solution is debatable. But the mere fact that it’s a debate, less than two months into a six-year contract, is bad news for the Bills.

As a life long, die hard Bills fan I am totally on board with letting Fitzy go.

He is not a quality starting NFL QB. He rarely throws even the most basic passes accurately. His receivers routinely have to jump or reach for balls. He lacks even average NFL arm strength. He is a good, smart guy and might be a good leader but there is a ceiling for wins with him as your QB and it’s around 8.

At least he’s proven, albeit for a very short window, that he can play at a high level. That’s not to say that he’ll ever do it again, or that the contract wasn’t a mistake, just that many QBs out there are being paid based on hypothetical potential, not proven game action.

That’s a good point. I agree the Bills could do worse but this team is not far away from seriously competing. Even a slight upgrade at QB could turn Buffalo into a legitimate playoff contender. That and some healthy damn players!

What do the Bills do if RG III is right there in front of them? The Bills need another Heisman winner it worked out well for them last time. I like Ryan but i need a multi million dollar QB to pull me out a losing streak ya know? Or am i asking for too much?

I watched this team play the Cowboys. There are two pass rushers outside the defensive end to the left of Fitz. They both come clean and sack him in 2 seconds. Either Fitz needs to learn line adjustments, be given the power to call line adjustments, or get a new LT. Fitz can stand back and shred people, and he is plenty mobile. But you have to give the man a chance.

He needs to get a WR who is big and can stretch the field. Let Stevie and David Nelson work the underneath routes. The team lacks depth on both sides of the ball, it’s why the season has crashed so fast.

Fitz is an average QB…. nothing more, nothing less. and that isn’t a bad thing, teams can win with an average QB.

People keep talking about the “big contract”… people need to put things in perspective. while it’s big relative to the Bills being so cheap…. its the contract for an average QB. he is paid as a middle of the road QB, which is what he is.

The Bills have PLENTY of other problems to address before QB. Last I checked, Fitz isn’t on the field as opposing offenses SHRED our defense and score at will game in and game out.

before anyone shares their genius insight about how they think chan and fitz should be fired: Take a look at the Bills IR list. Then take a look at the weekly injured list. There’s the real story with this team, period.
Then, before you talk about how they need to magically add depth, tell me exactly how the cap space would have bought 3 stating WR’s, one of the best DL in the game, one of the best OL in the game, and THE best RB in the game. It’s real easy to spout off when you have no idea what you are talking about.
Then, before you say this is the same old Bills team, re-read the above paragraph. I want these boys to win as much as anyone, but your criticism from trolls is either dumb or ignorant, and the criticism from fans needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

O-line overhaul? You probably don’t realize that the Bills have yielded the fewest sacks in the league. The line might not be the greatest, but they have come a long way this year. Give them a healthy Fred Jackson, a complement to Stevie Johnson, and some semblance of a pass rush and you’ll see some big improvements.

SSSSOOOOO sick of ppl “wondering” what has happened in Buffalo, so lemme break it down for ya’ll — If Your Fave Team Lost:: its 2 best players ((maybe 3 if u take into account the fact George Wilson was garnering SERIOUS pro-bowl talk)) &/or their 2 best offensive linemen &/or the only 2ppl on the team who could pressure the QB,, what do you think would happen to that team??
this isnt rocket science folks, buffalo had a decent team with zero depth, took $h!tlo@d$ of injuries to almost every young player & important position possible, then predictably collapsed.

Snatch RG III in the draft, and make a move for the disgruntled Desean Jackson. Even give away the crybaby Stevie Johnson if you have to. Or offer up one of those linebackers. This might be impossible if Griffin goes off the board too soon though.

Ive watched or listened to every Bills game this year and lots of the problems stem from the D. This defense is a comedy of errors. They are last in sacks I believe and somehow got 10 in a game. It’s unreal. First thing they need to do is fire George Edwards, the DC. He is in WAY over his head. A better D would put the offense in better situations with less pressure to score on every posession to keep up. Use every pick on D again this year and spend the money for an upper echelon D Coordinator.

Look I’m a lifer as well but the facts are…no playoffs in over a decade means the combos are not working…just keep stackin talent and things will turn around…one talented player motivates the next talented player….the culture has to start somewhere and I don’t mean on another teams roster! !!!